"Cinderella" Review

Cinderella


Content: 

-Safe for families
-One or two very mild innuendos

Recommendation:

Adults and children alike will enjoy it. Adults may even like it more. If you have a family, take your kids to see it. Even if you are single, it is worth your money.







When I first heard Disney was going to make live-action versions of their classic animated films I thought it was a dumb idea after seeing Maleficent. However, after seeing Kenneth Branagh's "Cinderella," I am on board. Bring on Hermione playing Belle!

In many ways, this "Cinderella" updates the original, which was released in 1950. It was a simple time when everyone needed to get married in order to move on with their lives, and the animated version reflects this. While there are several lessons girls could take, the one that sticks out is having a man to marry will make their lives better.

Values have shifted over the years, and while marriage is still important, it has become less of an end-all to happiness. Society has learned through the high divorce-rate that if two people get married, they should be in love. It should not be looked at as the only thing that will make one happy. An unhappy single person will still be unhappy after marriage.

The 2015 live-action version changes this in a positive way. The film repeats a different lesson several times: kindness and courage will win out in the end. Cinderella (Lily James), first hears this advice from her mother (Hayley Atwell), and she takes it to heart. While her step mother (Kate Blanchett) and step sisters make her life a living hell, she tries to make the best of things.

When she meets the prince (Richard Madden) for the first time, what attracts him is not her physical beauty but her kindness. She makes such an impression on him that he tries convincing his dad (Derek Jacobi) to let him marry for love rather than politics. Because of her, the prince throws the ball where commoners have just as much a chance as princesses to meet him.

Another way this film improves upon the original is the development of Cinderella's life story. In the animated version, it is introduced through a brief narration. It never introduces the audience to her parents. We simply know they died before the story starts. The 2015 film shows the parents and develops them well enough to create a heart-breaking death scene of Cinderella's mother.

It also does a good job showing how the relationship between Cinderella and her step mother evolves. Kate Blanchett brings a sense of depth to her character. She is evil, but the film hints that the reason for this may stem from jealousy of Cinderella's loving relationship with her father.

While this is undoubtedly a modernized update, director Kenneth Branagh masterfully keeps the same magic that was present in the original. This shows when the fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) transforms animals, clothing and a pumpkin to make Ella ready for the ball. It is also there when Ella dances with the prince in the ballroom. The way the camera moves to the music makes us as an audience feel we are dancing as well.

"The Judge" Review

The Judge

3.5 out of 5 stars

Family appropriateness rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Rated R
-Moderate sexuality
-Strong language, including f-words, throughout.
-This one is rated up from most R rated films in terms of family appropriateness because the only reason it is R is the language. Furthermore, it has a good message about integrity that families might appreciate.







With complex characters and a good message, "The Judge" is worth seeing despite its weak first act.

Robert Downy Jr. plays Tony Stark Hank Palmer, a rich, talented lawyer who has spent his career defending awful people. He is from a small town in Indiana where his father, Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), has served as judge for many years. The two have had a falling out to where they rarely communicate anymore.

When Hank gets word that his mother passed away, he goes to his hometown for her funeral where he is forced to see his father. After a series of events, Judge Palmer undergoes a criminal investigation, and Hank stays to defend him.

Coming into this movie, I was expecting Hank to be a complete jerk with no sense of right and wrong. However, he is a likable person. He has told his share of lies, but he is not without morals. When he sees his father needs help, Hank does everything he can to defend the man even though their relationship is messed up. This proves to be difficult because Joseph is all about honesty and honor, whereas Hank knows all the loopholes that could easily get his father out of trouble.

Without hitting the audience members over their head, this film has a good message about honesty. It is about how having integrity and telling the truth can make everything right.

Robert Downy Jr. does a great job as the arrogant, yet likable lawyer. His character is a lot like Tony Stark in that he is far from perfect, but he still has great qualities. He is also wickedly brilliant, and it is fun to see him figure things out.

Robert Duvall also does a good job as the integrity-filled Judge Palmer. While I like this character towards the end, there are certain parts in the middle where he seems like a two-dimensional, stubborn elderly man. He is difficult for Hank to deal with, but the film later explains why.

"The Judge" does not receive a higher score from me because of the weak set-up. The beginning does not do much to suck the audience in. The fact that he is a brilliant lawyer who works for bad people is only revealed through the dialogue, and I would have liked to have seen Hank Palmer defending a scumbag before he goes to his hometown.

The beginning feels rushed. When Hank goes to his hometown there is very little context given about it. In actuality, him going is a big deal, but this is barely implied as he sarcastically says something to his daughter about his father. Little about the dynamic between Hank and Joseph is discussed until later, and the movie picks up when this happens.

The whole first act feels like a series of events that had to be glued together for the sole purpose of moving the story along. Some of the scenes end by dissolving into the next ones, and this makes the moments feel unimportant.

The reason for this probably has to do with its already-long running time. It stands at two hours and 21 minutes. It would have benefitted from cutting out on some of the superfluous subplots and focusing more on the two central characters.

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